Dream Nights With the CEO (17 page)

“Wyatt!” she cried. “Don’t stop!”

“That was talking. I said you could only scream.”

She flashed him a look of annoyance, but it was quickly replaced by a start of surprise as he pushed her thighs wider. And then he dropped to his knees.

“You know how you’ve been dreaming of that other thing? Well I’ve wanted to do this to you.”

And so he did. He settled between her legs, inhaling the musky aroma before starting to lick. Deep long strokes, penetrating thrusts, and sweet swirls around her nub. Those last ones were the best. She cried out every time he went there.

He played with her a long time, savoring her taste and her reactions. How he loved to hear her sounds. And the sweetest sound of all came next.

He flattened his lips around her clit, stroked her twice, and then sucked once. Hard.

She screamed. If he could hear that every day for the next sixty years, he would die a very happy man. It was the best noise ever.

At least he thought it was. Until, a moment later, she grabbed his ears and pulled him up enough to look at her.

“In me,” she ordered. “Now!”

He blinked. That was what he’d really wanted to hear. A second later, he was embedded deep. She started convulsing around him the moment he thrust inside. And then she screamed.

“Wyatt!”

Now
that
was the best sound ever.

Chapter Seventeen

Megan’s stomach clenched tight as they got out of the car outside her mother’s house. It always clenched at this moment, usually because she feared her mother’s mood. Some days the woman was charm itself, almost like her old happy mom. But those days were rare. So her stomach tightened in fear, and in her current state of pregnancy-induced nausea that was a very bad thing.

“You okay?” Wyatt asked, his hand lightly touching her shoulder.

She nodded. “Mom should be in a good mood,” she said, hoping it was true. “After all, we’re coming for dinner. She likes that.”

“Good mood, bad mood, it doesn’t matter. Everything’s going to be fine.”

She looked into his smiling face, measured the width of his broad shoulders, and felt his warmth surround her. At moments like this, she felt like she could take on the world. How much worse could one mother be?

“I just hope she doesn’t scare you off.”

He grinned as he grabbed the cheesecake box out of the back. “Not a chance. I’m not going anywhere, Megan. You’re stuck with me.”

She smiled, her thoughts and her gaze turning to her house. Her father had said that too, once upon a time. No one could control life. But when she put her hand in his, she could almost believe.

“Come on,” she said to herself. “Let’s do this.”

So they walked, hand in hand, to the house. The front door swung open to reveal her mother dressed in her Sunday clothes with a pristine apron around her waist. Her hair was done up in a neat bun, and she looked lovely. And when she looked at Megan, her eyes lit up with happiness. Sadly, the expression was short lived as she shot a sour expression at Wyatt.

“He’s so attached to you, he won’t even let you out of his sight for one night to visit your mother?”

Oh great. The woman was in fine form tonight. “Hello, Mom. This is Wyatt. He’s my boss and, well, he’s given me a promotion of sorts.”

“No ‘of sorts’,” Wyatt interjected. “You’re my partner now.”

“Partner?” Mom said with obvious surprise and pleasure. “Congratulations, but…” She grimaced at him. “Does he have to come to dinner?”

“Actually, Mom, he does. Please try to be nice.”

“I’m always nice,” she said as she enfolded Megan in a warm hug. Then she took the cake box from Wyatt. “I’ll put this in the kitchen.”

Wyatt smiled, though the expression looked a little strained. Fortunately, another car roared around the corner at just that moment. A bright red Mustang. Joshua, just in time.

“Huh,” grunted her mother as she narrowed her eyes. “He’s on time. Wonder what the problem is.”

No problem. Megan had just threatened to rip out his teeth one by one if he didn’t show up right at six. And then she said she’d smash the cheesecake if he was late. It was that last threat that did it. And here he was pulling into the driveway.

Meanwhile, Megan smiled at her mother. “Maybe he’s just anxious to see us.”

Her mother cast her a suspicious look. “You and your boss. Joshua on time. What’s going on?” She paused and looked back and forth between her and Wyatt. Then her eyes abruptly widened. “Your new man. The one in St. Louis. Is it him?”

Well, Megan couldn’t fault her mother for being stupid. “Let’s just get inside, okay?”

Her mother’s eyes narrowed, but Megan thought she caught a spark of excitement. If nothing else, Mom loved the drama.

Meanwhile, Joshua had leaped out of his car, all puppy dog enthusiasm and casual good looks. The boy had been a distance runner in high school and college, and now had the tall, lean look of a veteran marathoner. He grabbed a bottle of wine from the back of his car, then ran up to them. In a blink of an eye, he kissed his sister and his mother while simultaneously grabbing the cheesecake box. Then, with both hands full, he turned to look at Wyatt.

“So this is the mysterious bossman. Good to meet you,” he said, though he didn’t have a hand to extend.

Wyatt smiled. “Bossman no longer. She’s been promoted to partner.”

“Partner! Her? Man, you are in trouble. She’ll bleed you dry in a second!”

Megan boxed her brother hard on the shoulder. It probably hurt her as much as it did him, but he had his hands full. He couldn’t punch back, so she judged it a worthy sacrifice. “I’m an amazing partner. And I’m going to make us both a ton of money.”

Josh grunted at the impact but flashed his sister a mischievous look. “You still hit like a girl.”

“You still spend all your money.” She jerked her head to his car. “New one?”

“Three months old. Like it?”

“It definitely makes an impact.”

He laughed. “Why else would you have a car but to make an impression?”

“I don’t know. To get from place to place?”

“To come visit your mother every once in a while?” inserted their mother, though her face was flushed with pleasure. She really did love it when her family visited.

Josh winked. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

Then all together, they went inside. The smell of pot roast filled the air and Megan caught sight of Wyatt sniffing appreciatively.

“Wow,” he said. “That smells heavenly.”

“I’ve tried to get the recipe out of her,” Megan said, “but she says I won’t have any reason to come see her if she gives it up.”

Wyatt’s brows raised. “I’m sensing a theme here.”

Mom snorted. “It’s because she’ll give it to that fancy French chef of yours. It’s a family recipe. Not a restaurant special.”

“Fancy French chef?” Wyatt asked.

“She means Fred. The guy from Brooklyn who can cook French if he wants to.”

Josh chuckled. “We forever fear that the fierce Frenchman Fred will… uh…”

Wyatt picked up the alliteration. “Follow family recipes?”

“Fondle fickle French maids and fu—”

“That’s enough of that!” snapped their mom. “Shut the door. You’re making the house cold.” She disappeared for a moment into the kitchen with Joshua. Probably to put the wine and cheesecake into the refrigerator. Whatever the reason, it gave Megan a chance to catch her breath.

“I’m sorry, Wyatt,” she whispered. “This isn’t going to be pleasant.”

“Relax,” he said. “She just needs some buttering up. And the promise that this won’t be the last time you visit her.”

Megan nodded. He’d suggested that on the drive over, but every time she thought about it, she just couldn’t promise. These visits were hard and were only going to get worse as her pregnancy advanced. She didn’t want to stress herself out on a weekly basis.

“So, Mom,” she heard Josh say from the kitchen. The door was open so they could hear everything clearly. “Where are these light bulbs that need to be replaced? Your ladder man has arrived.”

“Oh don’t do that now,” Mom said. “It’s dinner time. Or will be soon. Besides we have a guest. Here, give him a beer.”

“You mean give
me
and Megan a beer and offer him one.”

Wyatt looked up. “I’d love one.”

“None for me, thank you,” Megan added.

That brought on silence as her brother abruptly stuck his head in from the kitchen. “No beer? You pregnant or something?”

It was meant as a joke. She knew it. But as it was the truth, Megan had no ready response to her brother’s laughing face. And that pause before answering was all it took. Josh’s eyebrows narrowed, then suddenly his jaw dropped open.

“Holy sh—” He swallowed the rest of his word, and then Mom came bursting through.

“What? What!” She stared at Megan, her gaze dropping to her daughter’s belly. And when Wyatt settled a comforting arm around her shoulders, Mom’s steely glare shot to him. “Is it your
boss’s
?” she demanded.

Megan managed a half-hearted smile. “Can we all just sit down for a moment?” She made her way to the couch, Wyatt in tow. But no one else moved. Although Joshua did take a healthy swig of his beer.

Meanwhile, one look at her mother’s face and Megan could tell the woman was gearing up into Mama Bear mode. Back when they were young, her mother had been happy and easy going. Generally. But threaten one of her kids, and wham, she turned mean in a hot second. And right now, she was drawing breath to lambast Wyatt.

So Megan cut in as quickly as she could. “It’s not what you think, Mom.”

“Really?” the woman said, her glare never wavering from Wyatt’s face. “I think you’re pregnant and unwed. Now is he the father or not?”

“I am,” Wyatt said calmly. “And I have every intention of seeing to my responsibilities to both Megan and the baby.”

Megan winced. Wow. She hadn’t realized how much it hurt to be labeled “a responsibility.” Part of her had started thinking marriage. Part of her knew it was much too soon. But the largest part of her just wanted to believe that Wyatt was with
her
and wasn’t just hanging around for the baby. So in reaction to the pain of his words, she put in her own two cents. “I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself.”

“Apparently not!” shot back her mother.

Megan ground her teeth. “I want this baby. I choose this baby. And you can choose to be part of its life or not. But I won’t have you angry and bitter about him. Or her.”

Her mother reared back as if struck. And well she should because suddenly Megan had her own Mama Bear going. Her mother could spit venom all she wanted, but Megan would be damned before she let one drop of rancor touch her child.

“I’d never hurt your baby,” her mother gasped.

“Then you can start now,” said Megan, “by being happy for me.”

“Happy that you’re going to be a single mother? I don’t—”

“I don’t think her marital status is up for debate right now,” interposed Wyatt smoothly. “We’re talking about a child. Your grandchild. Do you really want to start out by screeching about it?”

“I am not screeching,” Mom hissed. “I’m furious with you.”

“My choice, Mother,” Megan said coldly. “My baby.”

Wyatt’s hand wrapped around hers, big, warm, and most of all, strong. “Our baby,” he said softly.

She looked at him, squeezing his fingers back. “Our baby.” There. She’d said it aloud and in front of her family. That made it real. That made it…right. With him beside her, she could face whatever came, even if it wasn’t marriage.

Oblivious to her thoughts, he smiled back at her. Their gazes locked, and in that moment, her brother chose to throw his own little bombshell.

“Um, how does this affect your move to St. Louis?”

“
What?
” bellowed their mother.

In his defense, her brother looked horrified. “Uh, I thought she already knew.”

Megan sighed. “No, she didn’t. And besides, I’m not moving to St. Louis. We just bought a B&B there.”

“Definitely not moving,” said Wyatt. “She’s just… going to visit there a couple weeks a month. Until Miranda’s Place is set up. But don’t worry, I’ll go with her.”

Far from helping the situation, it made her mother all the more furious. “You are not moving anywhere! Not with a baby on the way. How can I help you if you’re down there? And you certainly can’t work. It’s too exhausting, too dangerous for the baby.”

Megan pushed to her feet. “Mom, I know you were happiest when we were kids, and the idea of a career woman is foreign to you—”

“It’s just too hard, Megan,” her mother said with a huff. “You can’t be all things to all people. You have a child to think of now.”

“I am thinking of my baby who will need financial security—”

Wyatt stood as well, dropping his arm lightly on her shoulder. “That’s not a problem.”

“—and I like my job,” she continued. “I like working. A happy, fulfilled parent is important, too.” She finished in a rush, her eyes going to her mother. “I don’t want to fight about this, Mom. You’ve never understood how much I love my job, so you’ll just have to accept it. I’m not quitting.”

Her mother dropped her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowing. “You have no idea what it takes to raise a baby. My God, when I think of all the times one of you would have come to grief it hadn’t been for your father, it completely terrifies me. Every single one of you was a mischief maker. Always running this way or that. I couldn’t keep track of you. Megan, I thought you were the level-headed one!”

“Hey!” cried Josh. “I resent that!” In truth, he didn’t really resent it. He was smiling, after all, doing his best to derail his mother’s tirade. But it was no good. Mom just ignored him completely as she took a few steps forward, her anger taking over.

“I couldn’t hold things together. It was your father who did that. To try and raise a child on your own is just foolhardy. And dangerous! And—”

“
That’s enough!
”

Everyone jolted, Megan included. She’d never heard Wyatt use that tone before. Not even when he’d had three contractors yelling in his face. But this time, his words echoed through the house as he stepped forward to confront her mother.

“Mrs. Bradford, I’d like a word with you, please. In the kitchen.”

Megan’s eyebrows rose to her forehead. “Uh, Wyatt—”

“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt her.”

Megan blinked. “I, uh, wasn’t worried about
her
. The kitchen’s Mom’s territory. That’s kinda like bearding the lioness in her den.”

Meanwhile, her mother had drawn herself up to her full 5’ 5” height. She tugged her apron to straighten it, then spoke with clear disdain. “I think that’s an excellent idea, Mr. Monroe.” She said his name with icy tones. “I’d like to have a few words with you myself.”

“Uh-oh,” murmured Josh as he pushed to his feet. “I think I’ll, uh, join—”

“No!” That came from Wyatt and Mom both.

Then Wyatt gave the man a warm smile. “I intend to be in my child’s life for the duration. So it’s best if Grandma and I get things squared away now.”

Josh held up his hands in a surrender gesture. “Uh, look man, I’m all for the big stand-up-for-your-woman thing, but maybe this isn’t the best time.”

Wyatt shrugged. “Maybe not. But we’re going to do it now. I hate having things unresolved.” Then he gestured with his very large arm toward the kitchen. Their mother sniffed, then preceded the way as if she were the Queen of England going into a war room.

Megan started moving forward too, but then Wyatt turned around and looked straight at her.